Senecú, Chihuahua facts for kids

Senecú (also known as Senecú del Sur or San Antonio de Senecú) is a small village in Mexico. It is now located on the edge of Ciudad Juárez, in the state of Chihuahua. The village sits about 1,123 meters (3,684 feet) above sea level in the Chihuahuan Desert, a large desert area.

A Village with a Long History

Senecú del Sur was first settled in 1682. It was founded by Piro Native Americans who came from a place called Senecú in New Mexico. They moved south with the Spanish people after a big event called the Pueblo Revolt. This revolt was when Native American groups fought against Spanish rule. Some Tompiro people also joined the village.

Moving with the River

Originally, Senecú was on the north side of the Rio Grande river. It had a mission church nearby. Because it was so close to the Ysleta, Texas mission, there were often disagreements about where one village's land ended and the other's began.

In 1832, a very bad flood happened. The Rio Grande river changed its path, and much of the village of Senecú was destroyed. More land was lost to the river over time. After the village was not officially recognized by the Texas government, and after they lost a legal case against Ysleta in 1871, the people of Senecú likely rebuilt their homes on land that was now south of the river. However, the village was not officially set up in its current spot until 1949.

Life in the Early 1900s

Around 1901, Senecú still had its own special way of organizing things. They had leaders like a "cacique" (who also took care of the church), a governor, and a war-chief. The old church from that time is no longer there; a newer church has taken its place.

The Mexican Revolution began in 1910. This big conflict caused some people from Senecú to move across the border to places like Ysleta and Socorro del Sur for safety.

Remembering Senecú

Today, there is a stone monument on Alameda Street in El Paso that honors the Pueblo of Senecú. It is about 1.5 miles west of the Ysleta Mission.